Coin control for motor-vehicles.



A. P. BROWNB.

COIN CONTROL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED we. 2a, 1909.

. 9 4 45 Patented July 19, 1910.

'? i l I \X/lTHEEEEE: IHVEHTEIFKe @UMM AMW this tube shall form party of an electrical cir-1 annxamma r. nnowzm, or

viding of a device for use in connection with" certain motor pro sels, and particular lated by the train of -gearing,-until fina' y UNITED ATENT OFFICE.

To allwhomz'tmayconcem: 2

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER P. Bnowmi, a citizenof the United-States, and resident of Brookline, in the county of Nor 1 folk and State of Massachusetts; have invented a new and useful Improvement-in Coin Control for Motor-Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the proelled, vehicles or ves y automobile carriages, whereby the operation thereof ina be controlled in certain respects not attainable by the devices now in'use.

In the drawings, Figure 1. represents, in front elevation, a structure embodying my invention and Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 2"2 of Fig. 1. g

1 indicates a coin-receiver such as a. tube of suitable dimensions to receive" a -coin or token 17. Asit is' desired that the wallof cuit, the tube is preferably made of metal.

- 2' indicates a coin retainin gand releasing device,; -preferably pivoted, as shown at 4, uponthe tube 1 but electrically insulated therefrom, as shown at 5. This, retaining and releasing device 2 (shown in the present instance as a segmental frame) is provided with a part 3 which, while the device is performing its retaining function, enters or lies within the slot or interior of the} tube 1, but when performing its releasing. function, passes out'of said slot. Motion to the part 2, to set it at the point where its retainin function be ins, may be iven to it by han by means 0 the knurled ob 10 but motion in the opposite direction whereby, at the end of a predetermined period'of time, the. part 3 is. withdrawn rom the slot in the tube 1, is imparted aut matically by means of the clock work train, 8, 11,v 12 and escapement 13. This clockwork-train isactuated b a spring 6 one end of which is secured pre erably to a plate 7 and the other to the pivot 4: of the coin retaining and releasing device 2. en so constructed, it will be obvious tha'tgthe turning of the ,knob 10 will actto wind up the spring, 1 under the action ofwhich, when the knob is released, the re,-. tainijng device 2 will be moved in the opposite direction during a period of time re the part 3 is withdrawn, as before stated.

.1' and the retainer and re trically-insulated from each other, exce t nnooxnmn, nassaonosnrrs, assreuon 'ro LAWRENCE SHERMAN, TRUSTEE.

- coin common ron'no'ron-vnmcnns.

umm n-eraser;went.- Patented July 19,1910. Application med August as, 1909. Serial No.

1 i The tube 1, and the retaining and releas- .ingv device 2 are respectively connected electrically with the terminals a, a, of the ignition or other operating circuit of the vehicle or vessel, in connection with which the device is intended to be operated but it will be seen, particularly in Fig. e

when the gap between them is closed by t e introduction .and retention in place, as

shown in Fig. 1, of a coin or token which forms a gap closing piece.

In the present'instance the operating circuit is shown as an ignition circuit at 20, 20

connected to the usual spark-plug 22 which enters the explosion cylinder 23 in the usual manner. lhis circuit is provided with'the usual snap or other hand-operated switch such as is customarily mounted on the dashboard of a' motor vehicle. It is to be understood that the function of the coin or token 17, when held by the device 2' in'contact with itself and with the tube 1,

is to close a gap in the circuit by which the vehicle is to be operated but not to close such circuit itself.

When such a coin or token has been intro- I duced and so long as the part 3 remains within the ath of the coin or token 17, the latter will retained and the gap in the .circuit'closed. and'hence the vehiclewill be in condition to be 0 erated byv the closing of a switch or other suitable manually operated circuit closing device but when the part3 s withdrawn and the coin 'released,the gap is restored and the vehicle isnolonger operative. :3 I

As it is desirable to retain, in the order of their deposit, the various coins or tokens used for gap closing, a box 14; is provided at the bottom of the tube 1, having a lockable door 18 thereon; A ile of coinsor tokens is received and store in his b o1;,.as at 15 in Fig. 2.

For convenience, a counter,', or indicator, ofordinary well known construction, shown at 16, may be provided-to register each 'time 7 to the extreme lefthand side'of-the part 3 .and arranged to strike theright hand wall 110 2, that the tube aser 2 are elec- V I place and the The. various gap-closing of the tube but to clear theleft'hand wall thereof.

The mode of operat'on of the device, when used in connection with an automobile cab for carrying passengers is as follows: As has been shown above, the cab is not operative except when the ga -closing piece is in ga in t e sparking circuit thereby closed. (grdinarily the gap-closing piece employed will be a coin de osited by the passenger at the outset of his hiring and after the time-operated retaining and releasing means has been set at its first operating position as shown. So long as said means continues to retain the coin in position to lose the'gap in the spark circuit the cab will be operat1veand in this way the passenger, when depositing his coin, pays in advance for the operation of the cab or a certain predetermined len h of time. After this time. has elapsed, an the coin has been released, and the circuit gap thereby opened, the passenger, if he desires further operation of the cab, must deposit another coin and so on. If however such further operation is not desired by the passenger, yet it -may be necessary or desirable to further operate the cab. although not under hire. For this urpose a gap-closing piece will be deposite by the drlver, and suchpiece may be-a token, as distinguished from a coin the driver being supplied in advance with a suitable number of such tokens.

pieces made use of, whether coins de osite by the passenger, or tokens deposited ythe driver, will preferably be received and held in the locked receptacle in the order of their deposit. In this way not only will the money takings of the cab be preserved but also a complete and accurate record of the manner of its entire operation whether under hire or not.

In the case of a private automobile carriage, not operated for hire, my improved device will also be of value, because of this feature of recording the nature of the use of the vehicle, if any, when not under the eye of the owner. Ordinarily in the'case of a private vehicle the device would be switched ofl or otherwise put out of action but when about to pass from the control of its owner to'that of his chaufieur, if my improved de .vice be put in circuit, the use of the' gapclosing piece will furnish a record of the manner of operation of the carriage.

I claim 1. The combination .in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a sparking or other operating circuit rovided with a gap arranged to be closed y a coin or token, a coin-retaining-and-releasing device having electrical connection with one terminal of said circuit, a member arranged to be contacted by the coin and cuit having electrical connection with the other terminal of said circuit, and means operat- 1ng independently of said circuit for maintammg said coiu-retaining-and-releasing device in coin-retaining position for a relatively long predetermmed period.

2. The combination -in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a sparking or other operating cirrovided vwith a gap arranged to be close by a coin or token, a coin-retainingand-releasingdevice having electrical connection with one terminal of-said circuit, amember arranged. to be contacted by the coin and having electrical connection with the other terminal of said circuit and clockwork mechanism actuating said coin-retaining-and-releasing' device, said clock-work mechanism bein constructed and arranged to maintain said coin-retaining-and-releasin device in coin-retaining position for a re atively long predetermined period.

3. The comblnation in a coin-controlled mechanism for automaticallycontrolling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a sparking or other operating circuit provided with a gap-arranged tobe closed by a coin or token, a coin-retaining-and-releasing device havm electrical connection with one terminal 0 said circuit, a coin receiver having electrical connection with the other terminal of said circuit, and means operating independently of said circuit for maintainlng said coin-retaining-and-releasing device in coin-retaining position for a relatively long redetermined period.

4. The combination in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a sparking or other operating circuit provided with agap arranged to be closed by a .coin or token, a coin-retaining-and-releasmg device havmg electrical connection with one terminal of said circuit, a com-receiver having electrical connection with the other terminal of said circuit, and clock-work mechanism actuating said coin-retainingand-releasing device, said clock-work mechanism being constructed and arran ed to maintain said coin-retainin -and-re easing device in coin-retaining osition for a relatively long predetermine period.

5. The combination in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels,.of a sparking or other operating circuit provided with a ap, two members each connected with a di erent one of the terminals of said circuit, the gap in said circuit between said members being adapted to be closed bya coin or token when inserted therein, one of said members-being adapted to support and retain such coin or token in its gap-closing position, and means operating independently of said circuit for maintaimng the last mentioned member in coinretaining position for a relatively long predetermined period.

6. The combination in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a sparking or other operating circuit provided with a gap, two members each connected with a different one of the terminals of said circuit, the gap in said circuit between said members being adapted vice entering said aperture, said coin-retaining-and-releasing device: comprising a segmental frame, a rod to which said device 1s secured, means for manually rotating said rod to bring said device to coin-retaining position, and means independent of said circuit for rotating said rod to bring said device to coin-releasing position after a definite predetermined period.

8. The combination in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controllin the operation of motor-propelled vehicles 0 vessels, of a sparking 'or other operating circuit, a coin-receiver having a transverse aperture,

a coin-retaining-and-releasing device entering said aperture, said coin-retaining-andreleasing device comprising a segmental frame, a rod to which said device is secured, means for manually rotating said rod to bring said device to coih-retaining position and clock-work mechanism for rotating said rod to bring said device to coin-releasing position after a definite predetermined period.

9. The combination in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a sparking or other operating circuit provided with a gap arranged to be closed by-a coin or token, a coin-retaining and-releasing device, and clock-work mechanism actuating said co1n-reta1n1ng-and-releasing device, said clock-work mechanism being constructed and arranged to maintain said coin-retainingand-releasin device in coin-retaining position for a efinite predetermined period.

10. The combination in a coin-controlled mechanism for automatically controlling the operation of motor-propelled vehicles or vessels, of a s arking or other operating circuit provide with a gap arranged to be closed by a coin or token, and clock-work mechanism constructed and arranged to maintain a coin or token in gap-closing position for a relatively long predetermined period.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto, subscribed my name this 27th day of August 1909.

ALEXANDER P. BROWNE. 

